Containers and particularly polymeric or plastic containers are widely used to package a great variety of consumer goods. Such containers are typically decorated to add to the consumer appeal of the packaged product, as well as for purposes of branding the product with the trademark of the manufacturer or purveyor or providing the consumer with helpful information relating to the product within the container. Graphic decorations are added by several different processes such as screening, spraying and stamping. Often three dimensional decorations in the form of raised or depressed features relative to the major surface of the container are desired, also for purposes of decoration. Such raised or depressed features can be added during the molding process or by subsequent processes such as stamping.
The provision of accurate raised or depressed features which also include accurate graphic decorations has not been previously available. It has been difficult to add graphic designs by screening, spraying or other such methods to three dimensional container surfaces with accurate graphic reproduction of the desired features. For example, in the case of a raised feature depicting the head of a figure, the application of graphic features of the face is difficult to obtain in commercial quantities with sufficient accuracy as to be commercially acceptable. Graphics added after the three dimensional feature is created in a molding step do not apply evenly over the irregular surface.